Illinois man killed Muslim boy, 6, in hate crime motivated by Israel-Hamas war, police say
Police charged a 71-year-old suburban Chicago man Sunday with a hate crime for fatally stabbing a 6-year-old boy and seriously wounding a 32-year-old woman, alleging he singled out both victims because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas. Officers found both victims late Saturday morning at a home in an unincorporated area of Plainfield Township, roughly 40 miles (65 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. The Palestinian-American boy, who was pronounced dead at the hospital, was stabbed 26 times with a large military-style knife, according to an autopsy Sunday, the sheriff's office said. The woman had more than a dozen stab wounds on her body. She remained hospitalized Sunday, but was expected to survive. The man suspected of the crime was found Saturday outside "sitting upright outside on the ground near the driveway of the residence" with a cut on his forehead, police said. Police charged him with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of hate crimes and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Citing text messages from the mother to the boy's father, the suspect reportedly yelled, "You Muslims must die!" ahead of the stabbing, according to CAIR-Chicago. (Associated Press)
